Happiest Birthdayiversary to Chelsea {and Matt}! Thank you Chelsea for sharing such sweet words of wisdom about turning the big three-O in your last post.

Since Chelsea is taking the day off to celebrate with the family, I am coming at you with another guest post.

When I found this chandelier at the ReStore, it already had a chalk-like grey finish. The problem was it had a broken top loop and a missing decorative finial at the bottom. I salvaged suitable replacements from another light fixture but they were a nickel finish and did not match. So... in steps chalk paint to save the day!

You can't even tell which were the mismatched replacement pieces.

I love the effect chalk paint has on metal. It tones down the sheen and gleam of a typical chandelier and makes the light fixture feel more earthy. I painted the metal frame of this chandelier in a warm gray color called "Primitive" by Americana Decor. I have been making my own chalk paint as of late, but saw this sample at Home Depot and thought what the hey...

For a fun twist, I removed the candle covers, wrapped them in sisal rope, and secured the rope in place with hot glue.

If you're interested in this piece, please contact Cate to see it in person. This and many other gorgeous pieces are listed in the Available for Sale sections in the right-hand menu. Let us know if you find something you like!

~Cate

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Hello Monday. The end of the weekend is not a feeling I particularly look forward to, and I'm preeeeeettty sure I'm not alone here. But, hopefully this Garage Games submission perks you up just as it did me when I saw it!

If you are new to my blog, Welcome! Let me fill you in really quick so you can join! I am doing our very own Garage Games right
here on the blog over the next two weeks spanning the Olympics. I am asking
anyone and everyone to email me, (chelseasgarage@gmail.com), at least
one photo of a home decor piece/project/craft/room that is reflective of their
style and personality. It can be anything you want so long as it represents
you. I will post the photos right here on the blog as they come in as a
fun way of sharing our creativity and inspiring one another. At the end of the
two weeks we will do a random drawing of all the people who submit photos for a
chance to win a piece of jewelry from my jewelry box clean-out! I love
accessorizing and have 14 fun pieces that have served me well for several years
now, but alas, it's time to change things up and pass them on! So, please don't hesitate to submit your photo(s); you never know who you'll inspire and you could get a cool piece of jewelry out of it! See this post if you'd like more details and a peek at the jewelry pieces!

Note to all - closing ceremonies for the Olympics is Sunday, August 12. Please submit your photos prior to that date, (preferably as soon as possible so I can post a few photos each day rather than having a whole bunch in the last few days). :) Thanks!

Back to today's submission: This chica is as handy as she is beautiful; what she did with this brass chandelier, (which I am sure we've all walked past those without giving them a second thought), is completely ingenious...I'm pretty sure I'll be trying this myself in my daughter's room!

"This project was born out of both opportunity and need (the best kind if you ask me). I found a brass chandelier in my parents basement while I was home on a college break. At the time I was living in campus housing and wasn't allowed to make structural changes to my living space so there was no way I could install it if I wanted. So I disassembled it, painted it, rewired it with a swag line kit from home depot and voila! I had a upcycled chandelier I could hang from a ceiling hook and plug in to the wall outlet with the 20ft of electrical cord that came in the kit. For extra personality, I added wrapping paper to the candle shafts. I didn't need to cut a whole in the ceiling to install it but simply hang it from a hook instead!" -C

Thank you so much, C, for such a fabulous photo and idea! Keep the pics coming, gals!

For today's post I thought I'd share a short tour of our main living spaces in the evening. I look forward to the evening every day. My husband comes home from work. The noise of giggles and squeals from the babes in their excitement to play with Daddy. The smell of dinner. The smell of my babies after their bath. The quiet of my babies when they're all asleep. The peaceful calm of the home which, just a few moments ago, was a hustle and bustle of little feet running around and toys covering every square foot of surface space. I love turning all the overhead lights off and toning things down with lamp light.

{Basement}﻿

{Living Room}﻿

{Dining Room}

Turning down the lights in the evenings reminds me of a scene from one of my favorite movies, Meet Me in St. Louis. Esther, (played by Judy Garland -- love her!), has a scene after a party where she moves from room to room singing as she dims the lights around their massive home. I don't sing, but there is something so soothing about dimming our lights.

I am looking forward to posting more of your photos - this has been so much fun and it's only been a few days!